An arthropathy is a
disease
A disease is a particular abnormal condition that adversely affects the structure or function (biology), function of all or part of an organism and is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical condi ...
of a
joint.
Types
Arthritis is a form of arthropathy that involves
inflammation
Inflammation (from ) is part of the biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. The five cardinal signs are heat, pain, redness, swelling, and loss of function (Latin ''calor'', '' ...
of one or more joints,
while the term arthropathy may be used regardless of whether there is inflammation or not.
Joint diseases can be classified as follows:
*
Arthritis
:*
Infectious arthritis
::*
Septic arthritis (infectious)
::*
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
arthritis
::*
Reactive arthritis (indirectly)
:*Noninfectious arthritis
::*
Seronegative spondyloarthropathy:
:::*
Psoriatic arthritis
:::*
Ankylosing spondylitis
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Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects synovial joint, joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and h ...
:
:::*
Felty's syndrome
::*
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), formerly known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), is the most common chronic rheumatic disease of childhood, affecting approximately 3.8 to 400 out of 100,000 children. ''Juvenile'', in this context, ref ...
::*
Adult-onset Still's disease
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Crystal arthropathy
:::*
Gout
Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...
:::*
Chondrocalcinosis
::*
Osteoarthritis
*
Hemarthrosis (joint bleeding)
*
Synovitis is the medical term for
inflammation
Inflammation (from ) is part of the biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. The five cardinal signs are heat, pain, redness, swelling, and loss of function (Latin ''calor'', '' ...
of the
synovial membrane
Synovial () may refer to:
* Synovial fluid
* Synovial joint
A synovial joint, also known as diarthrosis, joins bones or cartilage with a fibrous joint capsule that is continuous with the periosteum of the joined bones, constitutes the outer bou ...
.
*
Joint dislocation
With ''arthropathy'' in the name
* ''
Reactive arthropathy'' (M02-M03) is caused by an
infection
An infection is the invasion of tissue (biology), tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host (biology), host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmis ...
, but not a direct infection of the
synovial space. (See also
Reactive arthritis)
* ''
Enteropathic arthropathy'' (M07) is caused by
colitis and related conditions.
* ''
Crystal arthropathy'' (also known as ''crystal arthritis'') (M10-M11) involves the deposition of crystals in the joint.
** In
gout
Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...
, the crystal is
uric acid
Uric acid is a heterocyclic compound of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen with the Chemical formula, formula C5H4N4O3. It forms ions and salts known as urates and acid urates, such as ammonium acid urate. Uric acid is a product of the meta ...
.
** In
pseudogout/
chondrocalcinosis/
calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease, the crystal is
calcium pyrophosphate.
* ''
Diabetic arthropathy'' (M14.2, E10-E14) is caused by
diabetes.
* ''
Neuropathic arthropathy'' (M14.6) is associated with a loss of
sensation.
Spondylarthropathy is any form of arthropathy of the
vertebral column
The spinal column, also known as the vertebral column, spine or backbone, is the core part of the axial skeleton in vertebrates. The vertebral column is the defining and eponymous characteristic of the vertebrate. The spinal column is a segmente ...
.
Signs and symptoms
Joint pain is a common but non-specific sign of joint disease. Signs will depend on the specific disease, and may even then vary. Common signs may include:
* Decreased
range of motion
* Stiffness
*
Effusion
*
Pneumarthrosis, air in a joint (which is also a common normal finding).
*
Bone erosion
*
Systemic signs of arthritis such as fatigue
Diagnosis
Diagnosis may be a combination of
medical history
The medical history, case history, or anamnesis (from Greek: ἀνά, ''aná'', "open", and μνήσις, ''mnesis'', "memory") of a patient is a set of information the physicians collect over medical interviews. It involves the patient, and ev ...
,
physical examination
In a physical examination, medical examination, clinical examination, or medical checkup, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a Disease, medical condition. It generally consists of a series of ...
,
blood tests and
medical imaging
Medical imaging is the technique and process of imaging the interior of a body for clinical analysis and medical intervention, as well as visual representation of the function of some organs or tissues (physiology). Medical imaging seeks to revea ...
(generally
X-ray
An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...
initially).
Treatment
References
External links
{{Authority control
Inflammatory polyarthropathies
Infectious arthropathies
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